43: Chapter 43 Ye Fan Heads to Tianji City

The battle at the Black Wind Gobi, where three Nascent Soul Cultivators hunted Lin Feng only to have their arms severed and be heavily injured while he escaped with ease—once the news spread, the upper echelons of the entire Central Province were shaken.

Tianji Pavilion, Divine Weapon Valley, and Beast Taming Villa had joined forces, yet they had suffered such a massive loss at the hands of a Golden Core junior?

Those top-tier powers that had originally been watching from the sidelines could no longer sit still; the temptation of the chaos bell, combined with the ruthless methods Lin Feng had displayed, meant they were no longer satisfied with trailing behind the three Sects just to drink the leftover soup. For a time, undercurrents surged along the northwestern border of the Central Province, and countless figures quietly converged toward that deadly Gobi.

However, another key figure at the center of this storm—Ye Fan—had already distanced himself from the place of trouble and was steadily advancing toward Tianji City in the heart of the Central Province.

In the eastern part of the Central Province, on the main road leading to Tianji City.

A cyan carriage, pulled by two snow-white Wind-Chasing Colts, traveled unhurriedly along the bluestone road; a space-expansion Formation had been cast inside the carriage, making it far more spacious and comfortable than it appeared from the outside.

Ye Fan and Su Qianxue sat opposite each other, both with their eyes closed, regulating their Qi.

After half a month of travel and healing, the injuries they had sustained from the shock of the teleportation had basically healed; Su Qianxue's Mystic Yin Body Golden Core was completely stabilized, with her cultivation firmly at the Middle Stage of the Golden Core, while Ye Fan's Yin-Yang Golden Core was of even higher quality than before, stably remaining at the Late Stage of the Golden Core. What surprised him even more was that due to the dual stimulation of Su Qianxue's Mystic Yin power and the guixu fragment, his understanding of the Yin-Yang Dao Body had improved significantly.

At this moment, Ye Fan had undergone a disguise, transforming into a young scholar with an ordinary appearance and a calm temperament, wearing a slightly worn cyan Confucian robe, with his aura only at the Mid-Foundation Establishment Stage, making him completely unremarkable. Su Qianxue had also disguised herself as a delicate maid, wearing a simple, elegant light blue dress, having restrained the icy aura of her Mystic Yin Body.

"Young Master, Tianji City is another hundred li ahead," Su Qianxue said, slowly opening her eyes.

Ye Fan looked out the window; on the distant horizon, the outline of a massive and towering city was faintly visible, like an ancient behemoth crouching on the earth.

Tianji City, one of the few super-cities in the Central Province, was a neutral and free city jointly managed by forces such as Tianji Pavilion, the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, and the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce. It was a place where people of all sorts mixed, where information flowed freely, and where the rules were strictly enforced.

Their primary goal for this trip was to attend the once-in-a-century underground auction held shortly at the headquarters of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion—the "Jiantian Assembly"; the eleventh item on the opportunity list, that one-time-use "heaven-deceiving talisman," was one of the finale items.

Ye Fan was interested in this talisman, but it was not a necessity. He valued the Opportunity to use this chance to contact the upper circles of the Central Province, inquire about news regarding Lin Feng, the chaos bell, the Eye of the Void, and tokens of the Tiangong Realm, and search for opportunities that could quickly improve his strength.

"We must be more careful after entering the city," Ye Fan said in a calm voice. "Open fighting is forbidden in Tianji City, but underhanded methods are impossible to guard against. The participants of the Jiantian Assembly are either wealthy or noble; our disguises may not be able to deceive everyone. The main purpose is to watch, to listen, and to understand the situation."

"Qianxue understands," Su Qianxue nodded. "But the Jiantian Assembly requires an invitation or a guarantor, and we…"

Ye Fan frowned slightly. According to his inquiries, the threshold for this Jiantian Assembly was extremely high; one either needed a special invitation or a guarantee from a qualified old client, along with a huge security deposit. The two of them had neither an invitation nor a reliable guarantor.

"Perhaps we can find a way through the black market," a glint flashed in Ye Fan's eyes. "The underground black market in Tianji City is quite large; there might be a way to obtain a forged invitation or find a middleman willing to rent out their guarantor qualifications, though the risk is also great."

While speaking, the carriage drove into the outer city of Tianji City.

The bustling prosperity that rushed toward them was dazzling; the wide main street was paved with solid slabs of bluestone, smooth enough to reflect a person's image. Shops stood on both sides with banners fluttering; those selling Medicinal Pills, those selling Magic Treasures, those providing intelligence—everything one could imagine was there. Foundation Establishment Cultivators were everywhere on the street, Golden Core Cultivators could be seen from time to time, and occasionally, the obscure aura of a Nascent Soul Cultivator could be sensed.

Flying was not prohibited in the air, but there were strict restrictions on altitude and flight paths. Escaping lights, flying Magical Artifacts, and flying Spirit Beasts shuttled back and forth in an orderly fashion within the designated aerial corridors.

What caught Ye Fan's attention even more was that the entire city was faintly shrouded in an invisible, thick Formation light curtain, emitting defensive and surveillance fluctuations that were heart-palpitating. This was a simplified version of the city-protecting Formation, the "Zhou Tian Star Formation." With this Formation in place, unless a Soul Transformation Old Ancestor arrived in person, anyone who wanted to run wild publicly in the city would only have a dead end.

"As expected, this is a true city of Cultivators," Ye Fan sighed inwardly.

The carriage drove slowly toward the inner city, and just as it was passing through the gate checkpoint between the outer city and the inner city—

"Stop! Routine inspection!" A team of city guards wearing black spiritual armor blocked their path, and the leader, a small captain at the Early Stage of the Golden Core, swept his sharp gaze over the carriage.

"Who is in the carriage? Do you have identification?"

Ye Fan's expression did not change as he handed over a forged identity jade token he had obtained from the black market, along with a bag of Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.

"I am Ye Qingfeng, a Loose Cultivator from the Eastern Region. I am traveling here with my maid, Xiaoxue. Having heard of the grand event of the Jiantian Assembly, I have come specifically to witness it."

The captain took the jade token, scanned it with his Divine Sense, and weighed the bag of Spirit Stones. The cold hardness on his face eased slightly, but his gaze was still scrutinizing the two of them.

"From the Eastern Region? A Loose Cultivator?" His eyes flickered. Recently, news about that Lin Feng from the Eastern Region who carried the chaos bell had been causing a huge uproar, and any unfamiliar face from the Eastern Region would arouse extra vigilance.

"That is correct," Ye Fan said calmly. "When I was in the Eastern Region, I also heard of the notoriety of that Lin Feng. Fortunately, I left early and was not drawn into the turmoil. I did not expect him to actually flee to the Central Province and cause such a huge mess."

He deliberately mentioned Lin Feng, his tone carrying a hint of lingering fear and relief, which made it seem even more authentic.

The captain looked again at Ye Fan's ordinary appearance and Mid-Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation, and then at Su Qianxue next to him, who was only at the Early Stage of the Foundation Establishment and looked gentle and quiet. His suspicion dissipated by more than half; such a combination did not look like the fierce person capable of shaking three Nascent Soul Cultivators head-on.

"Go on in! Remember the city rules: private fighting is strictly forbidden, and violators will be severely punished."

"Many thanks, Officer," Ye Fan said, cupping his hands in thanks. The carriage drove slowly through the gate and entered the inner city.

The inner city was even wider and cleaner, the concentration of Spiritual Qi was significantly higher, the cultivation level of the pedestrians was generally higher, and the proportion of Golden Core Cultivators increased greatly. The atmosphere was also more solemn and oppressive.

"Young Master, where to now?" Su Qianxue asked in a low voice.

Ye Fan looked toward the deepest part of the inner city at the tallest tower, built entirely of white jade—that was the headquarters of the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion and also the venue for the Jiantian Assembly.

"First, let's stay at the Yunlai Inn. It has a deep background and high security. After we settle down, we will go to the black market to see if there is a way."

The carriage turned and drove toward the inn area.

Neither of them noticed that on the second floor of an inconspicuous teahouse near the city gate, a pair of eyes that seemed to contain the birth and death of stars, and were deep enough to be heart-palpitating, were quietly watching the direction in which their carriage disappeared.

The owner of the eyes was an old man wearing a gray robe with an ordinary face. He held a cup of clear tea in his hand, but his gaze seemed to be able to pierce through space.

"Yin and Yang in harmony, Mystic Yin restrained... an interesting combination," the gray-robed old man muttered to himself. "A Loose Cultivator from the Eastern Region? This disguise has indeed taken some effort, but unfortunately, it cannot deceive this old man's eyes."

He gently put down the tea cup and tapped his fingers on the table a few times.

"Go, investigate this carriage and the background of the two people inside, especially that Ye Qingfeng."

"Yes, Pavilion Master," a barely perceptible voice replied from the void, and then it returned to silence.

The gray-robed old man picked up the tea cup again, his gaze once again cast toward the bustling yet murderous Tianji City outside the window, the corners of his mouth curling into an inscrutable arc.

"The great era is about to begin, and all kinds of monsters and demons are coming out. This Tianji City is becoming more and more lively."